LOCAL MARINE HELPS VICTIMS

"It's a complete shame. It looks like hell on earth, a war zone," said Lance Cpl. Jon Cumpston, describing San Diego after the wildfires. "It looks like it's snowing outside because of all the ash in the air."

Cumpston, 23, a Marine from Newport News, has been stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., for almost a year. His job up until recently was serving as an F-18 radar technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 11, but since the devastating fires began in California, Cumpston's job description has changed. Last week he found himself called into duty as a relief worker, giving him a firsthand look at the damage caused by the fires.

"Everywhere it looks like midnight, with smoke and orange clouds all over. They look like huge volcano clouds," said Cumpston. "We're right in the middle of San Diego, so we're surrounded."

The Horno/Ammo fire has burned 17, 000 acres on the Camp Pendleton Base, with more than 500,000 acres of land across California scorched in all. More than 1,800 homes have been destroyed, with 80 percent in San Diego County, where Cumpston lives. In San Diego alone, the damage is estimated at $1 billion.

Cumpston recalls helping one of his friends evacuate his home in San Diego, due to the impending fires reaching over the hills.

"I remember driving on Interstate 15 with a load of his stuff in the trunk of my car, when all of a sudden the traffic just stopped. I looked up and saw that the fire was coming across the road only one mile away from us and we were stuck. I had to grab a sweater from the back of my car to breathe because the smoke was overtaking me," said Cumpston.

After sitting on the engulfed highway for what seemed an eternity, the firefighters and police officers were able to merge five lanes of traffic off Interstate 15 via one exit.

"I just remember calling my dad and telling him what was going on and where I was at. It was definitely close," said Cumpston.

Cumpston's dad, Bill Cumpston, knows what it means to serve in the military. He served 30 years in the Coast Guard, along with the support of his wife, Robin Cumpston.

"I saw how good the military treated my family. Seeing my dad and all the service he gave to our country really influenced me and what I am doing today," said Cumpston.

For much of the time in the beginning, Cumpston and the rest of his unit were ordered to stay on base.

"We were needed there to help protect the base from the fire. All of the aircraft were evacuated to Arizona and other safe areas," said Cumpston.

Some of his fellow Marines helped fight the fires.

"We all have wanted to help as much as we can but were not given the opportunity at first, so to get out there and finally be able to help was a great thing," said Cumpston, a former baseball standout at Hampton Christian High School.

Once allowed off base, Cumpston and a few others from his unit went to Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to help the victims of the fires. The stadium housed some 10,000 evacuees before eventually closing as a shelter last Friday. Once there, Cumpston encountered people who had lost everything, not just material possessions, but memories, history and their lives, as they once knew them.

"I looked at all these people and they were homeless. I almost broke down right there, because I felt so guilty for still having everything," Cumpston said.

"People were sleeping everywhere right outside of the stadium in the parking lots. A lot of them were still covered in black soot and dirt. You felt bad to even be walking through, because you were walking through these people's homes and everything they had left," said Cumpston.

Among the tents and food provided for the evacuees, there were also arts, crafts and games set up for the children.

"I'm not one to get emotional, but I was sitting there playing games with these kids who had lost everything, and I was so touched by the experience," said Cumpston. "They had lost everything, but were coping with what they had. It was amazing to see everyone just come together like they did."

Concerts, the Internet and phones also were made available to the evacuees at Qualcomm.

While at Qualcomm, Cumpston helped carry ice and feed the evacuees. Cumpston and a few others from his unit also gave blood while helping at the stadium.

"The people there didn't know anyone, they didn't know me," said Cumpston. "But everyone was saying thanks and giving each other hugs. These people had lost everything, but they were still helping each other. It was so touching to me to see that going on.

"The entire experience was life changing for me, personally. It has made me be thankful for everything I have, because just like that in an instant, it can all be gone.

"The entire experience has made me proud to be here in San Diego," he said. "The people here are amazing. They have lost everything, but already have the attitude of 'OK, let's deal with it and move on.' " *